ARBOR  •  DAY 
ANNUAL- 19ia 


Ornamental 
Trees  & 

SHfeilBBERy 


9 

I 


rhis  book  is  due  on  the  date  indicated 
below  and  is  subject  to  an  overdue 
fine  as  posted  at  the  circulation  desk. 


EXCEPTION:  Date  due  will  be 
earlier  if  this  item  is  RECALLED. 


m        EDUCATIC 
DERAKTMDE 


m 


ORNAMENTAL  TREES  AND 
SHRUBBERY 


NEW  YORK  STATE  EDUCATION   DEPARTMENT 

ARBOR    DAY    ANNUAL 

MAY  2,  1913 


COMPILED  BY 
GEORGE  MARTIN  WILEY 

Chief,    Administration  Division 


EDUCATION  DEPARTMENT 
ALBANY         1913 


The  orangt-colored  flowers  iif  the  trumpet 
vine  attract  the  hummins;  birds 


THE  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  ARBOR  DAY 

ARBOR  DAY  in  its  broad  si,u;nificance  has  far  out- 
grown the  thought  of  its  founders.  In  its  begin- 
ning it  signified  httle  more  than  the  phinting  of 
a  tree.  Today  it  is  closely  related  to  the  whole  "  out- 
of-door  "  movement. 

The  great  improvement  in  the  appearance  of  school 
grounds  during  the  last  few  years  has  been  a  direct  result 
of  the  observance  of  Arbor  Day.  Only  a  few  years  ago 
in  our  larger  villages  and  cities  little  thought  was  given 
to  the  grounds  surrounding  the  school.  Today,  how- 
ever, there  are  few  schools  in  the  State,  even  in  the  rural 
communities,  where  there  is  not  a  real  pride  in  the  school 
surroundings. 

Such  pride  is  proper.  There  is  as  real  educational 
value  in  well-kept  grounds  as  there  is  in  appropriate 
decorations  in  the  schoolroom.  School  boys  and  girls  will 
become  stronger  and  better  men  and  women  through  the 
almost  unconscious  influence  of  the  beautiful  in  nature. 

Arbor  Day  should  be  a  day  of  beginnings,  which 
should  last  through  the  entire  year.  If  a  tree  or  shrub 
is  planted  it  must  be  given  care.  The  setting  of  the 
roots  in  the  soil  is  only  the  first  step.  The  necessary 
watering,  the  placing  of  guards  and  the  watching  against 
injurious  insects  and  other  enemies  give  opportunity  for 
the  exercise  of  constant,  intelligent  thought.  Without 
continuing  throughout  the  year  the  work  begun  on 
Arbor  Day,  the  w  hole  effort  is  lost  and  the  lessons  of  real 
worth  forgotten. 

The  question  is  often  asked,  "  What  trees  shall  we 
plant?  "  Select  the  trees  of  your  own  locality.  It  is  a 
most  interesting  study  to  search  out  the  important 
species  in  any  given  section  of  the  State  and  to  note 
their  habits.  The  list  in  many  cases  will  be  long  and 
will  include  many  ornamental  trees.  Such  excursions 
might  well  be  made  the  nature  study  work  during  the 
spring  months  and  also  furnish  excellent  material  for 
classroom  exercises.  With  the  vast  inroads  which  are 
being  made  upon  our  forests  it  may  be  only  a  few  years 


•8 


until  the  virgin  forest  will  be  only  a  memory  and  our 
excursions  will  be  limited  to  cultivated  forests  and  orna- 
mental trees. 

We  are  only  beginning  to  appreciate  the  great  beauty 
of  shrubbery.  It  not  only  has  a  distinct  value  in  lawn 
treatment  but  may  be  used  very  effectively  where  trees 
would  be  undesirable.  Shrubbery,  or  hedges,  may  be 
found  today  on  many  school  grounds  and  doubtless  the 
use  of  these  will  soon  become  much  more  general. 

In  selecting  a  special  theme  as  has  been  done  the  past 
few  years  it  is  not  the  thought  to  limit  the  exercises  in 
any  way  to  the  subject  chosen.  Local  conditions  may 
be  found  which  will  render  an  entirely  ditferent  program 
of  much  more  value.  The  school  garden  may  be  the 
center  of  outdoor  activity.  If  so,  let  this  be  emphasized. 
It  may  be  that  the  addition  of  small  shrubs  or  hedges 
may  add  something  in  an  ornamental  way.  This  feature 
of  school  work  which  in  so  many  places  has  given  both 
pleasure  and  profit  is  doubtless  a  result  of  the  Arbor 
Day  movement.  School  gardens  are  daily  teaching  les- 
sons which  can  be  learned  only  by  actual  contact  with 
nature  and  with  the  soil. 


In  the  observance  of  the  day  make  use  of  any  material 
at  hand  from  which  the  best  results  may  be  secured. 
This  may  relate  to  the  general  appearance  of  the  school 
grounds,  ornamental  trees,  shrubbery,  the  school  garden, 
the  study  of  agriculture,  fruit  trees  of  the  locality,  the 
farm  wood  lot,  or  even  the  more  general  subject  of  our 
forests.  The  vital  point  is  not  so  much  the  special 
subject  considered  as  the  relating  of  the  day  to  the  real 
activities  of  the  life  of  your  community.  The  work 
begun  on  Arbor  Day,  even  though  it  may  be  the  mere 
planting  of  a  vine,  must  be  only  a  beginning.  The 
results  must  be  enduring. 

A.   S.   Draper 

Commissioner  oj  Education 


An   avciiin;  uf  uaks   and   piipla 


THE  PLANTING  AND  CARE  OF  TREES  AND  SHRUBS 
FOR  ORNAMENT 

ONE  of  the  j^aeat  influences  that  has  worked  toward 
the  attainment  of  a  hij^h  state  of  civihzation  has 
been  the  love  for  the  beautiful  in  art  and  nature; 
and  the  greater  of  these  is 
the     beautiful     in    nature: 
omnipotent,  where  the  ruth- 
less hand  of  man    has   not 
despoiled  it  in  his  greed. 

It  is  interesting  to  note 
that  the  earliest  exponents 
of  organized  society  among 
ancient  nations,  either  se- 
lected beautiful  groves  or 
wooded  slopes  for  their 
religious  or  philosophical 
discourses,  or  if  such  places 
were  not  available,  never 
failed  to  adorn  the  sur- 
roundings of  their  temples 
and  halls  of  learning 
with  ornamental  trees  and 
plants.  In  fact  there  can 
be  no  doubt  that  the  first 
ornamental     plantings     on 

earth  were  those  connected  with  the  temple  grounds  of 
China,  whose  civilization  probably  antedates  that  of  any 
other  nation. 

At  first  only  those  plants  indigenous  to  the  neighbor- 
hood were  available,  but  as  venturesome  explorers  began 
to  penetrate  into  unknown  lands  they  brought  with 
them  upon  their  return  the  seeds  of  the  plants  of  such 
countries  as  they  had  visited,  always  selecting,  as  is 
human  nature,  those  which  were  to  them  the  most 
strange  and  beautiful. 

As  time  went  on  i)lant  breeders  began  to  help  in  the 
work  of  increasing  the  number  of  trees  and  other  plants 
until  we  now  possess  a  vast  amount  of  material  suitable 
for  almost  any  soil  or  situation.     Nor  has  this  work  of 


Hydrun^Las   in   full   bloom 


supplying  ornamental  plants  ceased.  With  increasing 
knowledge  plant  breeders  are  doing  greater  work  than 
ever  and  our  universities  and  botanical  societies,  and 
most  important  of  all,  the  United  States  Government, 
through  the  office  of  foreign  seed  and  plant  introduction, 
are  sending  out  expeditions  that  are  searching  the  globe 
for  new  material. 

Naturally,  the  very  fact  that  we  have  this  embarrass- 
ment of  riches  makes  it  more  difficult  to  select  the  specific 
plants  that  are  most  suitable  for  any  given  position, 
environment  or  soil,  and  it  is  the  purpose  of  this  article 
to  give  some  information  on  this  subject. 

Of  course  the  places  most  in  need  of  ornamentation  of 
trees  and  shrubs  are  those  great  aggregations  of  houses 
in  which  nature  has  been  utterly  defiled,  our  cities  and 
towns.  Unfortunately  the  plants  available  for  just  these 
places  are  comparatively  few,  because  the  unnatural 
conditions  created  exclude  many  of  our  handsomest  trees. 
Very  few  evergreen  trees,  for  example,  will  thrive  in 
large  cities  or  even  in  towns  where  great  manufacturing 
plants  are  located.  The  poisoned  air  of  such  locations 
can  not  aid  the  plant  in  assimilating  its  food,  and  the 
dust  and  soot  clogs  up  the  openings  of  the  leaves.     Most 


1 

1      1 

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"^  f   y.  ■■'   ■■■                                   '^ 

U.ik>   arc   lxclUl 


dfciduous  trees  do  fairly  well  in  cities  or  tcnvns  because 
they  renew  all  their  leaves  (the  breathing  and  digesting 
apparatus)  every  year,  and  are  entirely  dormant  during 
the  winter  months,  when  the  gas  and  soot  of  factories  is 
augmented  by  countless  numbers  of  fires  used  for  heating 
purposes. 

All  cities  have  come  to  realize,  however,  that  the 
attractiveness  attained  by  the  planting  of  trees  and 
shrubs  is  not  only  a  valuable  asset,  but  also  that  these 
plants  are  an  absolute  necessity  for  the  well-being  of  its 
citizens,  and  efforts  along  these  lines  are  being  made 
quite  universally  throughout  the  State.  Such  plantings 
are  naturally  divided  into  two  classes,  the  streets  and 
parks.  Street  planting,  especially  on  business  thorough- 
fares, is  very  often  disappointing;  in  some  cases  it  should 
never  be  attempted,  and  in  others  only  after  special 
preparation.  The  air-tight  pavements  and  consequent 
unfit  soil  and  lack  of  moisture,  and  the  absence  of  room 
for  expansion,  are  all  against  such  planting,  but  any 
street  having  a  sidewalk  fifteen  feet  or  more  wide,  or 
whose  total  width  is  above  sixty  feet  from  building  to 
building,  may  well  and  ought  to  be  planted  to  trees. 

The   question   as   to   the   most   desirable    street    tree 


naturally  presents  itself,  and  I  think  that  I  am  perfectly 
safe  in  saying  that  the  consensus  of  opinion  among  tree 
wardens  and  city  foresters  in  this  State  is  in  favor  of  the 
Norway  maple.  This  tree  is  especially  in  favor  for  the 
narrower  streets,  as  its  growth  is  not  too  rampant  and 
in  addition  it  well  endures  the  omnipresent  abuse.  Its 
bright  green  foliage  has  few  insect  enemies  and  forms  a 
compact  round  head  not  easily  broken  by  storms.  It 
would  of  course  be  unwise  to  plant  a  whole  town  to  this 
tree,  not  only  because  the  effect  would  be  monotonous, 
but  also  from  the  fact  that  an  epidemic  of  a  pest  favoring 
this  tree  would  do  incalculable  harm. 

The  American  elm,  the  red  oak  and  pin  oak,  the 
European  plane,  the  gingko,  the  white  ash,  and  the 
European  linden  are  all  good,  strong  trees  and  should 
be  considered  in  planning  city  planting,  but  in  no  case 
should  any  one  street  be  planted  to  more  than  one 
variety.  This  has  been  done,  I  know,  but  the  effect  is 
always  disturbing  and  has  been  well  described  as  being 
like  a  row  of  buttons,  all  monstrously  different,  on  a 
man's  waistcoat.  Broad  avenues,  parkways  and  prom- 
enades are  sometimes  planted  with  three  or  more  rows, 
and  when  this  is  done,  the  center  rows  may  differ  from 
the  others  with  good  effect. 

Another  thing  to  guard  against  is  the  pernicious  prac- 
tice of  using  such  quickly  growing  and  weak  trees  as 
poplars,  silver  maple  and  box  elder.  Had  I  the  power 
I  would  prohibit  the  planting  of  these  trees  on  any  city 
street.  The  Carolina  poplars  especially  are  a  great 
nuisance  on  account  of  the  habit  of  penetrating  and 
clogging  drains.  The  smallest  crevice  in  a  pipe  or  a 
connection  will  be  searched  out,  and  it  is  simply  a  ques- 
tion of  time  before  the  drain  is  entirely  filled  by  a  great 
mass  of  root  fibers.  I  have  in  mind  an  occasion  which 
came  to  my  notice  only  last  year,  when  over  twenty  feet 
of  vitrified  tile  sewer  thirteen  feet  under  ground  had 
become  completely  filled  with  poplar  roots.  While  the  box 
elder  and  silver  maple  do  not  have  this  same  bad  habit, 
they  share  with  the  poplar,  weak  wood  of  rampant  growth, 
that  invites  the  attack  of  borers,  a  propensity  for  insect 
pests,  and  a  short  life.  It  is  true  that  they  are  rapid 
growers,  but  too  rapid  growth  is  just  the  thing  to  be  avoid- 
ed, as  the  air  space  in  any  street  is  naturally  limited. 

Especial  care  must  be  taken  to  prepare  the  soil  in  the 


street.  Supply  at  least  three  yards  of  good  earth,  liberally 
fertilized  with  well-rotted  manure,  and  see  to  it  that  the 
drainage  system  is  as  nearly  perfect  as  it  can  be  made. 

Select  trees  even  in  size  and  character,  that  have  been 
nursery  grown,  and  that  have  been  frequently  trans- 
planted, so  that  they  will  have  a  good  mass  of  fibrous 
roots  near  the  trunk.  Take  great  care  not  to  let  the 
roots  be  exposed  to  sunlight  or  to  winds,  as  they  w  ill  dry 
out  and  become  useless.  In  planting,  fill  in  the  best 
soil  among  the  roots,  and  see  that  every  root  is  surrounded 
by  earth,  not  packed  down  upon  each  other,  and  have 
the  soil  firmly  compacted  and  well  soaked  with  water. 
A  stake  driven  firmly  into  the  ground,  to  which  the  tree 
can  be  fastened  by  means  of  a  wire  run  through  an  old 
piece  of  garden  hose,  will  keep  the  tree  from  swaying  and 
loosening  or  tearing  the  tender  new  rootlets.  A  tree 
guard,  of  which  there  are  hundreds  of  kinds  on  the  market, 
should  always  be  used,  as  otherwise  horses  or  vandals 
will  soon  destroy  the  bark. 

The  care  of  a  street  tree  is  as  important  as  the  plant- 
ing, and  consists  largely  in  shallow  cultivation,  watering, 
and  in  combating  the  destructive  insects,  such  as  elm- 
leaf  beetle,  maple  scale,  bag  worm,  etc.  In  places  where 
there  is  much  trafiic,  it  is  well  to  supply  an  iron  grating 
to  cover  the  earth  immediately  surrounding  the  tree,  as 
otherwise  the  continual  tramping  will  pack  the  earth  so 
hard  that  proper  aeration  and  moistening  will  be  impossi- 
ble. In  larger  towns  and  in  cities  the  street  trees  ought  to 
be  placed  under  the  care  of  an  efficient  tree  warden  or 
arboriculturist,  who  may  be  an  officer  of  the  department 
of  parks.  In  some  towns  a  separate  shade-tree  commis- 
sion is  in  charge  of  all  work  connected  with  street  trees 
and  this  method  has  usually  been  very  successful. 

In  public  squares  and  parks  of  small  area,  much  more 
latitude  may  be  used  in  the  selection  of  suitable  planting 
material  than  in  street  planting.  Many  small  trees,  such 
as  the  fiowering  dogwood,  the  hornbeam,  paulownia,  the 
various  hardy  magnolias,  all  hawthorns,  the  hollies,  such 
evergreens  as  the  Austrian  pine,  Swiss  and  stone  pine, 
arborvitae,  and  the  many  forms  of  the  Japanese  cedars, 
are  most  useful,  as  well  as  the  trees  recommended  for 
street  use;  but  the  chief  ornament  of  such  places  should 
always  be  the  many  flowering  shrubs,  of  which  mention 
will  be  made  later. 


In  the  larger  public  parks  there  is  everything  that  is 
hardy  and  suited  to  the  exposure  and  soil  to  be  used,  as 
long  as  too  great  a  mixture  is  avoided.  In  order  to 
obtain  the  best  effects,  the  planning  of  such  parks  should 
always  be  entrusted  to  an  experienced  landscape  archi- 
tect and  the  subsequent  care  to  a  good  park  superin- 
tendent or  gardener.  In  these  larger  parks  may  be 
grown  the  sweet  gum,  tulip  tree,  beeches,  white  oaks, 
willows,  chestnut,  scarlet  and  black  oaks,  walnuts,  hick- 
ories, catalpas,sourgum,  and  among  the  conifers,  the  white 
pine,  red  pine,  cypress,  larch,  Norway,  oriental,  Colorado 
and  Engelman's  spruce,  the  silver  and  Douglas  spruce. 
The  hemlock  and  the  various  cedars  may  be  mentioned 
as  desirable,  in  addition  to  those  already  enumerated. 
These  trees  are  hardy  throughout  the  State,  and  while 
not  intended  to  form  a  complete  list,  no  mistake  will  be 
made  in  planting  any  of  them. 

Nearly  all  public  parks  should  also  be  arboretums,  to  a 
certain  extent,  and  as  such  should  have  first  of  all  a 
thoroughly  representative  and  well-labeled  collection  of 
native  trees  and  shrubs,  adding  those  of  foreign  origin 
that  are  most  interesting  and  beautiful. 

In  rural  communities,  the  village  green  and  the  streets 
should  be  well  supplied  with  shade,  but  to  my  mind  the 
school  ground,  which  is  usually  the  most  neglected  as  far 
as  ornamentations  are  concerned,  is  the  chief  place  where 
a  carefully  selected  collection  of  trees  and  shrubs  should 
be  found.  Indigenous  Bora  is  usually  found  very  abun- 
dant in  the  country,  and  for  that  reason  I  would  give  the 
preference  to  plants,  fruit  and  flowers  of  strange  character 
in  growth,  for  these  are  more  apt  to  attract  the  interest 
of  the  children  and  call  their  attention  to  the  wonderful 
ways  in  which  nature  attains  its  results.  It  is  a  great 
pity  that  so  much  less  interest  is  shown  toward  nature  in 
rural  schools  tlian  in  those  in  the  cities,  and  indeed  in 
the  rural  schools  of  Europe,  where  the  schoolmaster  usu- 
ally is  one  of  the  prominent  members  of  the  horticultural 
society  of  his  district. 

Regarding  the  planting  of  private  grounds,  I  will  speak 
only  of  those  of  limited  size,  as  the  wealthy  usually  give 
the  planning  of  extensive  private  parks  to  competent 
landscape  architects.  Every  householder  of  consequence 
has  the  perfectly  natural  desire  to  adorn  his  grounds  in 
some    way,    but    unfortunately    the    effect    attained    is 


L 


[kdgcs   can   be  used  effectively 


frecjuently  most  bizarre  and  violates  the  eternal  fitness 
of  things.  Most  often  these  poor  results  are  the  outcome 
of  the  desire  to  have  as  many  kinds  of  plants  as  possible, 
and  as  a  consequence  the  small  front  yard  is  cluttered 
with  trees  and  bushes  in  a  way  that  is  most  unattractive. 

One  or  two  trees  properly  located,  and  the  most 
desirable  shrubs  grouped  along  the  edges  and  filling  the 
corners  of  a  small  yard,  leaving  the  center  open  or  nearly 
so,  will  present  a  more  pleasing  picture  than  twice  the 
number  distributed  as  mentioned  before.  Roses  in  a 
hedgerow  along  the  dividing  line  are  pleasing,  while  the 
same  number  of  plants  in  a  bed  in  the  middle  of  the 
front  lawn  are  not,  and  are  decidedly  out  of  place. 

Often  an  owner  desires  to  mark  the  line  of  his  property 
along  the  street,  or  to  obtain  a  certain  amount  of  privacy. 
For  this  purpose  a  hedge  is  the  very  best  thing  to  use  if 
sunlight  is  not  cut  off  by  the  street  trees.  The  hedge 
should  be  at  least  fifteen  feet  distant  from  large  trees 
as  otherwise  it  will  not  grow  satisfactorily,  not  only  on 
account  of  the  shade  but  also  because  the  tree  roots 
absorb  too  much  of  the  food  and  moisture.  Of  plants 
suitable  for  hedges  I  may  mention  the  ibota,  California 
and  amure  privet,  hornbeam,  Thunberg's  berberis,  and 

i6 


hawthorn,  among  the  deciduous;  and  arborvitae,  hem- 
lock, Japanese  cedar,  and  the  Japanese  holly,  among  the 
evergreen  plants.  These  will  all  stand  shearing  well  and 
can  be  trimmed  into  almost  any  desirable  shape. 

For  hedges  that  are  given  more  room  and  will  be 
allowed  to  flower,  many  of  the  smaller  flowering  shrubs, 
such  as  spireas,  hydrangeas,  roses,  and  Deutzia  gracilis, 
are  valuable  and  attractive.  These  should  be  pruned 
carefully  to  promote  flowering,  and  never  sheared  into 
formed  shapes.  None  of  the  flowering  shrubs  should  be 
sheared  when  planted  either  singly  or  in  groups,  as  this 
not  only  interferes  with  the  production  of  flowers  by 
removing  the  young  wood,  but  also  changes  the  naturally 
graceful  shape  into  something  resembling  a  magnified 
whiskbroom.  A  good  rule  to  follow  in  pruning  shrubs  is 
to  cut  back  the  fall-flowering  ones  in  the  spring,  and  the 
spring-flowering  ones  after  they  have  done  blooming. 
Every  other  year  or  so  some  of  the  old  wood  should  be 
removed  so  that  the  younger  or  more  vigorous  shoots 
may  have  a  chance  to  develop.  This  is  called  the 
rejuvenating  system  of  pruning  shrubs.  Evergreen  shrubs 
like  rhododendrons,  holly  and  the  evergreen  and  decid- 
uous azaleas,  need  very  little  if  any  pruning,  but  it  is  of 
great  advantage  in  the  case  of  the  azalea  and  rhodo- 


bears  flowers  in  marvelous 
abundance 

variety  is  so  great  and 
even  a  shady  corner  ma 
rhododendrons,  leucothe, 
num,  sweet-pepper  bush, 
and  Oregon  grape,  and  a 
continued  bloom  may  be 
had  from  spring  until  fall, 
though  the  greatest  wealth 
of  bloom  is  found  in  early 
spring  and  summer.  Early 
flowering  shrubs  are  flow- 
ering almonds,  azaleas, 
rhododendrons,  bush  hon- 
eysuckles, golden  bell,  red 
bud,  lilacs,  followed  by 
white  fringe,  globe  flower, 
sweet-pepper  bush,  straw- 
berry shrub,  etc.  Those 
flowering  in  the  fall  are 
hydrangea  paniculata,rose 
of  Sharon  and  Desmodium. 
Many  shrubs  are  attrac- 
tive   in    winter    as    well. 


dendron  to  remove  the 
seed  vessels  after  the 
flowers  have  dropped,  so 
that  the  strength  other- 
wise consumed  by  them 
may  go  into  new  growth. 
As  to  the  most  desir- 
able plants  for  small, 
private  grounds,  much 
depends  on  the  taste  of 
the  planter  and  the  situa- 
tion; but  the  trees  men- 
tioned for  small  parks  or 
squares  are  suitable,  with 
the  addition  of  the  more 
compact  evergreens.  Trees 
that  will  reach  a  great 
spread  are  as  much  out  of 
place  on  the  small  house 
plot  as  on  a  narrow  street. 
Of  flowering  shrubs,  the 
their  habits  so  diverse  that 
y  be  filled  with  arrowhead, 
azaleas,    maple-leaved  vibur- 


The  blossoms  of  the  sweet-pepper  bush 
have  a  dehghtful,  spicy  odor 


especially  those  that  bear 
berries  that  persist  until 
spring.  Among  these  may 
be  mentioned  the  bar- 
berries, burning  bush, 
chokeberry,  buckthorn, 
sumach,  snowberries  and 
various  roses.  Some  ot 
these  as  well  as  others 
which  carry  fruit  in  the 
summer,  will  attract 
many  birds  like  robins 
and  cedar  waxwings. 
The  writer  had  for  sev- 
eral seasons  a  family  of 
robins  around  his  dwelling 
during  the  winter,  feeding 
on  rose  hips  and  choke- 
berries.  Other  shrubs  like 
the      red      and       yellow 

branched    cornels    and    the   orange-twigged   willow,    are 
very  useful  to  lend  color  to  the  winter  landscape. 

So  far  nothing  has  been  said  of  the  creeping  and  climb- 
ing shrubs,  the  vines,  but  since  park,  garden,  or  dwelling, 
is  hardly  complete  with- 
out them,  they  deserve 
at  least  honorable  men- 
tion. They  will  cover 
the  roughest  brick  wall, 
beautify  the  worst  con- 
crete building,  clamber 
over  the  barest  rock, 
transform  the  old  tree 
stump  into  an  object  of 
beauty,  and  will  do 
wonders  in  hiding  the 
occupant  of  the  front 
porch  from  the  gaze  of 
the  envious.  Boston 
ivy,  which  comes  not 
from  Boston  but  from 
Japan,  will  adhere  well 
to  almost  any  surface 
The  blossoms  of  the  biittonbaii  bush         exccpt  a  newly  painted 


board  wall,  and  is  especially  valuable  in  cities  as  neither 
dust  nor  soot  adheres  to  its  glossy  leaves.  Its  brother, 
the  Virginia  creeper,  likes  trees  or  trellises  better  and 
does  excellently  in  the  shade,  as  does  the  pipe  vine  or 
Dutchman's  pipe,  whose 
large  green  leaves  and 
curious  flowers  are  not 
seen  as  often  as  they 
should  be.  Honeysuckles 
and  wistarias  will  grow 
almost  anywhere  and  per- 
fume the  air  and  delight 
the  eye  with  their  blos- 
soms. The  trumpet  vine 
is  excellent  for  many 
reasons  and  has  always 
been  of  especial  interest 
to  me  because  it  will  at- 
tract the  humming  birds 
more  than  any  other 
plant  I  know.  Wild  and 
cultivated  grape  are  good 
for  arbors  and  to  cover 
up  bare  or  unsightly 
places.  The  Kudzu  vine 
will  climb  fifty  feet  in  one 
season,  but  is  rather 
coarse  for  small  places. 
Among  the  roses  we  have 
the  rambler  in  its  varie- 
ties and  the  prairie  roses 
as  climbers,  and  the  va- 
rious memorial  roses  as 
creepers.  Clematises  from 
the  native  virgins  bower 
and  Japanese  paniculata, 
which  are  both  good  as 
late  bloomers,  to  the  large 
flowering  ones  of  the  jack- 
man  type,  must  not  be  overlooked;  and  akebia,  bitter- 
sweet, euonymous  and  several  polygonums,  are  others 
that  are  desirable.  One  word  of  caution  regarding 
climbers  may  not  be  out  of  place:  do  not  expect  too 
much  the   first  year  after  planting,  as  most    of    them 


The   trumpet  vine  climbing 
up  an  old  stump 


take  some  time  to  become  well  established,  and  only 
the  rankest  of  them  like  the  Kudzu  vine  will  start  with 
a  rampant  growth  at  once. 

In  planting  trees  and  shrubs  be  careful  not  to  crowd; 
allow  ample  room  for  full  development  for  the  individual 
shape  of  each  for  therein  lies  half  the  charm  of  the  plant. 
More  harm  has  been  done  by  planting  too  much  than  too 
little.  Many  evergreens,  for  instance,  like  spruces  and 
firs,  grow  in  width  nearly  as  much  as  in  height,  and  lose 
their  beauty  when  they  lose  their  lower  branches  on 
account  of  having  been  planted  too  close  to  a  building, 
walk,  road,  or  to  one  another.  Most  of  the  plants 
mentioned  must  of  course  be  purchased  in  nurseries,  but 
even  those  who  can  not  afford  the  expense  of  these 
purchases  need  not  despair.  There  is  no  section  of  the 
State  in  which  many  kinds  of  trees  and  shrubs  do  not 
abound  in  wood  and  meadow  and  may  be  had  for  the 
digging,  and  while  more  care  will  need  to  be  exercised  in 
the  transplanting  of  such  collected  stock,  that  very  fact 
w  ill  make  them  more  valuable  to  their  owners. 

Just  one  more  word  to  encourage  the  prospective 
planter.  Beauty  is  not  a  luxury  but  a  positive  asset. 
A  plot  of  ground  is  more  valuable  when  adorned  with 
plants  than  it  is  without  them,  just  as  a  house  is  more 
valuable  for  a  coat  of  paint,  and  in  planting  for  ornament 
the  planter  is  not  only  gratifying  his  own  sense  of  the 
beautiful  but  creating  something  that  will  benefit  the 
country  at  large,  and  with  a  trifling  expense  tor  upkeep 
it  will  increase  in  beauty  from  year  to  year. 

Hermann  W.  Merkel 
Zoological  Park,  New  York  City 


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INSECT  ENEMIES  OF  TREES  AND  SHRUBS 

MANY  insects  may  be  found  on  ornamental  trees  and 
shrubs.  Some  are  beneficial,  many  comparatively 
harmless,  and  a  few  very  injurious.  The  bene- 
ficial insects  include  the  common  ladybeetles,  sometimes 
called  ladybufi;s,  the  brij^htly  colored  maggots  of  certain 
fiower  Hies,  and  numerous  small  or  very  minute  wasps. 
The  maggots  of  many  of  these  wasps  live  in  caterpillars, 
and  a  number  find  plenty  of  food  in  the  microscopic  eggs 
of  certain  insects.  The  delicate  lace-winged  fly  is  inter- 
esting and  beneficial,  since  it  places  its  eggs  on  slender 
stalks,  a  position  which  secures  them  from  the  depreda- 
tions of  the  greedy  young  which  destroy  large  numbers 
of  injurious  plant  lice  or  aphids. 

We  may  ignore  for  a  time  the  many  harmless  insects 
and  study  a  few  of  the  pests.  Every  part  of  a  tree  may 
be  attacked,  including  the  root,  the  trunk,  the  branch, 
the  twig,  the  leaf,  and  even  the  seeds  or  fruit.  The  more 
deadly  enemies  of  trees  are  found  among  insects.  Some 
pests,  when  abundant,  may  kill  trees  fifty  to  one  hundred 
years  old  within  a  few  months.  Thousands  of  noble 
shade  trees  in  New  York  State  have  been  destroyed  by 
insects  during  the  past  twenty  years.  Most  of  these 
could  have  been  protected  at  a  moderate  cost. 

Scale  insects  are  so  called  because  of  the  waxy,  roof- 
like covering  protecting  the  legless,  wingless,  eyeless,  and 
almost  helpless  insects  beneath.  They  are  only  a  little 
better  than  pumps  attached  to  a  living  bag  or  sack, 
except  for  the  short  time  the  young  scale  insects  crawl 
over  limbs  and  foliage  before  settling 
and  producing  the  cottony  growth, 
which  mats  down  to  form  a  scale  ancl 
is  soon  followed  by  the  loss  of  legs, 
antennae  or  feelers,  and  eyes.  Thi 
scurfy  scale  and  the  San  Jose  sea  It- 
may  be  very  abundant  on  the  steiii^ 
and  branches  of  Japanese  quince, 
while  the  oyster-shell  scale  thrives 
best  on  ash,  poplar   and    lilac.     The         San  Jos€  scale 


smaller  branches  of  soft  maples,  especially,  may  be  fes- 
tooned beneath  in  midsummer  with  masses  of  the 
cottony  maple  scale,  while  the  false  maple  scale  pro- 
duces large,  chalky  patches  on  the  trunks  of  hard 
maples  and  loose  clusters  of  cotton- 
covered  insects  on  the  leaves.  All  of 
these  may  seriously  weaken  the  infes- 
ted trees  or  even  destroy  them  in  part 
at  least. 

Most  caterpillars  feed  on  leaves. 
It  may  surprise  many  to  learn  that 
a  few  caterpillars  have  powerful  jaws 
and  gnaw  wood  easily.  This  is  true 
of  the  imported  leopard  moth,  the 
caterpillar  of  which  lives  in  the  trunks, 
branches,  and  even  twigs  of  many 
trees  and  shrubs.  It  gnaws  large 
burrows  in  the  living  wood  and  kills 
or  disfigures  many  trees,  especially 
soft  maples  in  and  about  New  York 
City.  The  caterpillars  of  the  similar  carpenter  worm 
make  large,  irregular  galleries  in  hard  maple  and  oak, 
and  the  large  grub  of  the  sugar  maple  borer  partly 
girdles  branches  or  even  trunks  of  many  fine  maples 
throughout  the  State. 
This  latter  insect  ruins  or 
practically  destroys  many 
superb  maples. 

The  bark  of  some  trees, 
especially  pine  and  hick- 
ory, is  entered  by  small, 
brown  or  black,  cylinder- 
shaped  beetles  less  than  a 
quarter  of  an  inch  long. 
These  make  small  bur- 
rows or  galleries  in  the 
inner  bark,  while  the  tiny- 
grubs,  hatching  from  eggs 
placed  on  either  side  of 
the  burrow,  do  their  part 

in  tracing  a  peculiar  design  and  greatly  assist  in  kill- 
ing the  tree.  Thousands  of  noble  hickories  have  been 
destroyed  in  and  about  New  York  City  by  the  hickory 
bark  borer  during  the  last  five  years. 


At  least  one  insect  devotes  itself  to  pruning  ofif  twigs 
and  small  branches  of  various  trees.  It  is  called  the 
oak.  and  maple  pruner,  and  its  work  may  be  easily  known 
by  the  wilting  tips  in  late  summer  and  later  by  the  fallen 
branches,  each  with  a  clean-cut  end  and  usually  con- 
taining the  white,  legless  carpenter  grub  resting  in  a 
burrow  in  the  middle  of  the  twig. 

The  leaf  feeders  are  known  to  many.  The  elm  leaf 
beetle  and  its  voracious  grub  destroys  the  foliage  of 
thousands  of  elms  each  season,  the  affected  trees  show- 
ing only  brown  skeletons  of  leaves  in  midsummer.  This 
pest,  like  a  number  of  our  more  destructive  insects, 
is  small,  relatively  unat- 
tractive and  a  native  of 
Europe.  It  has  been 
found  that  over  one-half 
of  the  more  injurious  in- 
sects of  America  have 
been  brought  into  this 
country  from  some  other 
land. 

Dainty  plumes,  like 
those  of  the  ostrich,  deli- 
cate tufts  or  brushes  of 
hairs  and  brilliant  yellow, 
red  and  black  colors  make 
the  caterpillar  of  the  white- 
marked  tussock  moth  a 
beautiful  object,  whether 
seen  with  the  unaided  eye 
or  viewed  through  a  mag- 
nifying glass.  The  male 
moth  has  plumed  feelers  or  antennae  and  thick  tufts  of 
hairs  on  its  forelegs,  while  the  poor  female  is  very  plain 
and  does  not  possess  even  wings.  The  eggs  are  placed  in 
a  large,  white  mass  on  the  cocoon  and  may  be  easily  re- 
moved and  burned.  The  spread  of  this  pest  is  accom- 
plislied  mostly  by  the  caterpillars  crawling  from  tree  to  tree 
and  is  therefore  quite  limited.  This  insect  sometimes 
becomes  very  abundant  and  the  caterpillars  eat  almost 
everything  in  sight  and  strip  the  leaves  from  horse- 
chestnut,  linden,  elm  and  maple  trees  in  cities  and  villages. 

A  number  of  other  leaf-eating  caterpillars,  some  very 
destructive,  may  be  found  on  trees,  and  at  any  time  we 
25 


may  expect  the  discovery  of  the  gipsy  moth  and  the 
brown-tail  moth  in  New  York  State.  These  two  insects 
were  accidently  brought  to  this  country  in  recent  years 
and  are  now  widely  spread  and  most  injurious  in  the 
New  England  States. 

Plant  lice  or  aphids,  unlike  caterpillars,  live  upon  the 
sap  of  plants  which  they  suck  through  a  tiny  beak  from 
the  living  cells  in  the  leaf  or  even  the  inner  bark  of  many 
trees  and  shrubs.  These  tiny  insects  usually  occur  in 
great  numbers  on  the  leaves  and,  when  numerous,  pro- 
duce a  large  amount  of  a  sweet,  sticky  substance  known 
as  honeydew.  This  honeydew  smears  the  leaves  and 
may  even  wet  the  ground  beneath.  Ants  frequently 
protect  plant  lice  and  feed  upon  the  honeydew  they 
produce.     A  sooty  fungus  grows  in  the  honeydew  and 


White-marked   tussock  moth;   male 
female  on   the  right 


blackens  the  affected  foliage.  These  insects  are  small 
and  very  weak,  and  yet  they  often  become  so  abundant 
as  to  cause  very  serious  injury  because  of  the  large 
amount  of  sap  they  suck  from  the  plants  upon  which 
they  occur.  Sometimes  a  large  part  of  the  foliage  of 
many  elms  and  maples  is  nearly  destroyed  by  these  tiny 
enemies. 

We  can  not  describe  here  all  the  insects  which  feed 
upon  ornamental  trees  and  shrubs.  A  few  are  injurious 
almost  every  year,  while  a  much  larger  number  may  cause 
serious  damage  only  now  and  then,  long  periods  some- 
times passing  before  a  pest  becomes  abundant  again.  A 
study  of  insects  shows  that  all  produce  eggs  and  from 
these  hatch  small  maggots,  grubs  or  caterpillars.  These 
latter  require  a  large  amount  of  food,  since  this  is  the 
stage  or  condition  in  which  insects  grow.  We  should 
remember  that  small  flies  never  grow  to  be  large  flies. 
26 


Two-spotted  lady 
beetle 


Following  the  period  of  growth  there  comes  a  time  of 
apparent  rest  and  change  which,  with  the  butterfly,  is 
known  as  the  chrysalis,  and  finally  we  have  the  insect 
or  butterfly  itself.  A  knowledge  of 
these  changes  is  interesting  and  also 
valuable,  since  there  is  almost  always 
some  period  in  the  growth  of  an  insect 
when  its  habits  make  it  rather  easy 
to  control.  Leaf-feeding  caterpillars 
and  grubs  may  usually  be  killed  by 
spraying  with  a  poison  (such  as  arsen- 
ate of  lead  which  is  one  of  the  best 
poisons),  while  this  would  be  of  no 
value  for  such  a  pest  as  bark  or  twig  borers,  because 
the  poison  can  not  be  placed  where  the  insects  must  eat 
it  or  go  hungry.  Plant  lice,  since  they  suck  the  fresh 
sap  from  the  inside  of  the  leaves  or  the  inner  or  under 
part  of  the  hark,  can  not  be  killed  by  poisons  lying  on 
the  surface;  fortunately  they  are  very  delicate  and  most 
of  them  are  easily  killed  by  spraying  the  insects  them- 
selves with  a  mixture  of  soap  and  water.  Scale  in- 
sects, like  plant  lice,  suck  the  sap  from  the  plant  but 
they  are  more  difficult  to  kill  because  they  are  protec- 
ted by  a  waxy  scale.  We  must  either  use  a  stronger 
spray  and  apply  it  in  winter  so  as  to  avoid  injuring  the 
plant,  or  else  wait  for  the  time  when  the  tender  young 
are  crawling  and  kill  them  with  a 
spray  such  as  is  used  for  plant  lice. 
Borers  can  be  destroyed  only  by 
putting  something  into  the  burrows 
which  will  kill  the  grubs,  such  as  car- 
bon bisulfid,  or  by  cutting  and  burn- 
ing the  infested  parts  of  the  tree. 

The  habits  of  insects  difter  so 
much  that  we  must  know  what  each 
pest  actually  does  before  we  can 
fight  it  to  the  best  advantage.  The 
elm  leaf  beetle  and  the  white-marked 
tussock  moth  are  both  leaf  feeders, 
and  yet  a  tree  may  be  sprayed  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  kill  the  cat- 
erpillars of  the  latter  and  not  injure  the  elm  leaf 
beetle  grubs  because  they  feed  entirely  on  the  under 
surface  of  the  leaf  and  are  therefore  not  afl'ected  by  a 
27 


wingL-d    fly 


poison  lying  upon  the  upper  side  of  the  fohage.  The 
caterpillars  of  the  white-marked  tussock  moth,  on  the 
other  hand,  eat  all  the  leaf,  biting  or  gnawing  out  portions 
between  the  veins  and  are  therefore  easily  poisoned  if 
the  spray  is  simply  thrown  upon  the  foliage.  Certain 
leaf  miners  such  as  the  imported  elm  case-bearer,  eat  a 
small  hole  through  the  leaf  and  then  feed  upon  the  tender 
portions  lying  between  the  upper  and  the  lower  surface 
and  are  therefore  much  more  difficult  to  poison  than 
most  leaf  feeders.  There  are  a  large  number  of  leaf 
miners,  usually  not  very  injurious,  which  enter  the  leaf 
through  a  minute  hole  and  spend  practically  their  entire 
existence  in  the  gallery  or  mine  between  the  two  surfaces 
of  the  leaf.  Some  insects,  like  the  hickory  bark  beetle, 
pass  the  winter  in  the  affected  wood,  and  it  is  then  easy 
to  cut  and  burn  the  trees  which  have  been  attacked 
and  thus  kill  the  borers.  We  see  from  these  few  examples 
that  it  is  necessary  to  know  what  an  insect  does  if  we 
would  succeed  in  preventing  injury  to  the  thousands  of 
magnificent  trees  and  shrubs  adorning  our  streets,  parks 
and  private  grounds. 

E.  P.   Felt 

A'ezv  York  State  Entomologist 


The  sugar  maple  borer 


JOHN  WALTON  SPENCER 

4  4  4  S  for  myself  I  am  glad  that  I  have  learned  to 
/A  know  the  heart  of  a  child,  and  that  I  have  lived 
to  see  three  score  and  five  years."  These 
were  the  words  of  "  Uncle  John  "  when  he  retired  from 
his  active  work  in  the  nature  study  bureau  of  Cornell 
University  five  years  ago;  and  perhaps  the  greatest 
tribute  that  may  be  paid  to  him  is  to  say  that  he  learned 
to  know  the  heart  of  a  child. 

John  Walton  Spencer  was  born  at  Cherry  Valley,  N.  Y., 
June  12,  1843.  Soon  afterward  his  parents  moved  to 
Westfield,  Chautauqua  county.  The  district  school  was 
where  "  Uncle  John  "  gained  his  education,  and  also 
gained  much  ot  that  knowledge  of  human  nature  which 
was  such  a  help  to  him  in  his  final  chosen  field.  It  was 
granted  him  to  have  one  term  at  a  select  school  in  the 
town,  and  we  know  that  he  made  the  best  of  this  oppor- 
tunity. On  his  coming  of  age  came  the  young  man's 
desire  to  see  the  world  and  he  went  west  to  the  Pacific 
coast.  He  saw  San  Francisco  in  the  fever  of  the  war 
time,  when  gold  was  at  a  premium  and  gold  mining  the 
chief  industry  of  that  state.  But  still  he  was  not  satis- 
fied; he  shipped  with  sailing  vessels  and  visited  the 
Sandwich  islands,  then  an  independent  native  kingdom, 
and  remained  there  for  a  year  and  a  half.  But  the  home 
claimed  him  and  he  returned  to  the  farm. 

As  he  struggled  w  ith  the  problems  of  the  farm,  the  con- 
viction grew  upon  him  that  the  State  was  doing  too  little 
to  educate  the  farmer  in  intelligent  methods  of  agriculture. 
In  1894  through  the  inlluence  of  the  Chautauqua  Horti- 
cultural Society,  of  which  Mr  Spencer  was  chairman, 
an  appropriation  was  made  to  Cornell  University  for 
promoting  the  horticultural  interests  of  the  western 
counties  of  the  State.  Thus  began  the  Cornell  extension 
teaching.  Horticultural  schools  of  several  days'  duration 
were  held  in  Jamestown  and  in  other  places,  professors 
from  the  college  conducting  the  teaching.  Mr  Spencer 
was  among  the  most  eager  and  intelligent  of  those  who 
came  to  learn.  His  mind  eagerly  grasped  the  scientific 
31 


facts  and  comprehended  their  value.  He  saw  clearly 
that  to  help  the  farmer  the  teaching  must  be  of  a  popular 
sort,  and  he  must  undertake  to  translate  the  results  of 
scientific  investigation  in  agriculture  into  terms  which 
the  plainest  of  farmers  might  understand.  He  did  this 
in  farmers  institutes  and  wherever  opportunity  occurred. 

In  1896  an  appropriation  was  given  to  Cornell  espe- 
cially for  extension  work  and  "  Uncle  John  "  went  to  the 
university  to  help  in  the  work.  At  first  his  help  was 
entirely  voluntary,  but  he  was  found  to  be  of  so  great 
use  that  he  was  asked  to  give  up  his  farming  for  a  time 
and  to  help  with  this  new  work.  His  first  work  was  as 
supervisor  of  the  farmers  reading  courses.  Through 
correspondence  "  Uncle  John  "  tried  to  give  the  farmers 
in  simple  terms  the  information  of  scientific  facts  in 
agriculture.  The  reading  courses  reached  thousands  of 
practical  men. 

Another  phase  of  the  work  interested  "  Uncle  John  " 
still  more.  When  Cornell  was  given  an  appropriation  to 
carry  nature  study  into  the  rural  schools  of  the  State, 
Mr  Spencer  among  many  others  was  asked  to  visit  the 
schools  and  note  their  needs  and  whether  this  teaching 
was  being  done.  Then  "Uncle  John"  found  himself  in 
his  true  element.  He  instructed  not  only  the  teachers 
but  the  children  during  these  visits,  and  came  back  en- 
thusiastic over  the  possibilities.  He  it  was  who  first  saw 
clearly  that  the  first  step  in  this  great  work  was  to  help 
the  teachers  through  simple  written  leafiets. 

Not  long  after  this  work  was  undertaken  with  teachers, 
"Uncle  John"  conceived  the  idea  of  helping  the  teachers 
by  getting  the  pupils  interested.  He  said,  "We  can  not 
do  the  work  from  the  top  down,  we  must  commence 
from  the  bottom  and  work  upward."  In  confronting 
this  problem  his  genius  first  showed  its  true  greatness. 
He  organized  all  the  children  under  one  teacher  into  a 
club,  known  as  the  Junior  Naturalist  Club.  The  pupils 
were  all  to  pay  dues,  which  consisted  in  writing  letters 
to  "  Uncle  John  "  describing  their  out-of-door  observa- 
tions and  activities.  After  they  had  done  their  work 
well  for  a  time  a  charter  and  a  button  were  given.  This 
charter  was  framed  and  prized  by  the  children.  Since 
the  pupils  under  one  teacher  were  the  unit  for  the  club, 
there  might  be  as  many  Junior  Naturalist  Clubs  in  one 
school   as   there   were   rooms   and    teachers.     Thus   the 


work  grew  rapidly.     Thousands  of  children   came   into 
these  clubs. 

"  Uncle  John's  "  circular  letters  to  teachers  and  to  his 
many  nieces  and  nephews  were  intrinsically  delightful. 
As  a  writer,  he  was  original  and  his  writings  had  a 
literary  quality  quite  their  own.  Certain  professors, 
in  no  wise  interested  in  this  work  in  itself,  have  said  that 
they  read  everything  "  Uncle  John  "  wrote  because  of  its 
literary  merit  as  well  as  its  originality.  Certainly  his 
letters  went  straight  to  the  hearts  of  children.  His  was 
the  great  power  of  a  great  heart  that  reached  out  and 
drew  toward  him  the  hearts  of  the  young.  "  You  are 
the  best  loved  man  in  the  State,"  said  one  of  his  colleagues 
to  "  Uncle  John  "  one  day,  who  saw  the  children  gather 
round  him  at  a  picnic,  and  this  was  true. 

"  My  slogan  has  been  to  give  one  thing  to  each  of  a 
thousand  children  rather  than  a  thousand  things  to  one," 
declared  "  Uncle  John  "  in  a  Junior  Naturalist  Club,  and 
his  tenderness  and  care  for  the  mediocre  child  was  always 
one  of  his  strongest  characteristics.  At  the  flower  or 
vegetable  exhibits  made  by  children  at  the  fairs,  "  Uncle 
John  "  would  pick  out  some  poor  little  bouquet  and  find 
the  owner,  and  with  his  word  of  commendation  make 
him  feel  that  next  year  he  would  do  better.  The  children 
responded  to  his  efforts  in  a  marvelous  manner.  For 
several  years  the  number  of  letters  from  his  nieces  and 
nephews  ran  up  into  the  thousands,  finally  attaining  one 
year  the  number  of  30,000.  Never  was  a  request  from 
a  child  willingly  neglected,  although  acknowledgments 
were  made  whenever  possible  through  circular  letters, 
which  were  remarkable  because  of  their  personal  quality. 
He  not  only  wrote  to  the  children  but  he  visited  their 
schools  and  talked  with  them  and  always  gained  their 
rapt  attention.  His  last  work  was  to  organize  the  child- 
ren of  the  State  into  Junior  (Jardeners  Clubs,  very  much 
on  the  plan  of  the  Junior  Naturalists.  In  this  he  was 
as  truly  successful. 

When  he  retired  to  Bellwether  in  1908,  he  still  kept 
up  his  relations  with  Cornell  and  did  the  work  of  field 
agent  for  five  years,  and  to  the  last  his  soul  was  in  the 
work  with  children.  Only  a  few  days  before  his  last 
illness  he  gave  a  lesson  to  a  training  class  in  Chautauqua 
county,  with  all  ot  his  old  enthusiasm,  interest,  and 
success.     He  was  always  ready  to  lend  a  helping  hand, 


A   sthuol    phiygrouiid 


and  liis  ideal  was  to  teach  so  as  to  help  the  children  to  a 
knowledge  of  the  beauty  and  use  of  the  common  things 
in  their  country  environment.  He  once  said,  "  The 
man  who  can  find  comradeship  in  associating  with  himself 
has  a  fountain  of  culture;  living  in  a  '  hurrah's  nest  '  is 
enervating.  The  man  or  woman  to  whom  folks  are 
necessary  is  to  he  pitied."  Thus  he  tried  to  build  up 
within  the  child  powers  for  self-development  and  self-help. 

As  a  friend,  "  Uncle  John  "  was  always  most  helpful. 
He  was  always  ready  to  give  a  word  of  cheer  in  discourage- 
ment, and  his  optimism  was  a  source  of  inspiration. 
When  he  had  once  made  up  his  mind  to  accomplish  an 
object,  it  was  amazing  to  see  how  obstacles  fell  before 
his  determination. 

"  Uncle  John  "  died  at  Ithaca  October  24,  191 2,  and 
was  buried  at  Westfield  two  days  later.  It  seemed 
fitting  that  his  passing  should  occur  in  the  place  of  his 
greatest  achievements.  It  seemed  like  the  writing  by 
the  hand  of  fate  that  a  farmer  in  a  rural  district  with  no 
special  education  to  fit  him  for  the  work,  should  have 
found  the  opportunity  for  the  full  development  of  his 
genius,  and  thus  brought  his  influence  to  bear  upon  the 
35 


lives  of  so  many  thousand  people,  not  only  of  our  own 
State,  but  an  inHueuLe  that  is  truly  world-wide 

Anna  Botskord  Comstock. 

[Abridged  from  article  in  Cornell  Countryman  of  Noivmbcr  igi2] 


THE  SONG  OF  THE  THRUSH 

When  the  beech  trees  are  green  in  the  woodlands, 

And  the  thorns  are  whitened  with  may, 
And  the  meadow-sweet  blows  and  the  yellow  gorse  blooms 
I  sit  on  a  wmd-waved  spra\'. 
And  I  sing  through  the  livelong  day 
From  the  golden  dawn  till  the  sunset  comes  and  the  shadows  of 
gloaming  grey. 

And  I  sing  of  the  joy  of  the  woodlands. 

And  the  fragrance  of  wild-wood  flowers. 
And  the  song  of  the  trees  and  the  hum  of  the  bees 
In  the  honeysuckle  bowers, 
And  the  rustle  of  showers 
And  the  voice  of  the  west  wind  calling  as  through  glades  and  green 
branches  he  scours. 

When  the  sunset  glows  over  the  woodlands 

More  sweet  rings  my  lyrical  cry. 
With  the  pain  of  my  yearning  to  be  'mid  the  burning 
And  beautiful  colours  that  lie 
'Midst  the  gold  of  the  sun-down  sk\-. 
Where   over   the    purple   and   crimson   and    amber   the   rose-pink 
cloud-curls  fly. 

Sweet,  sweet  swells  my  voice  thro'  the  woodlands, 

Repetitive,  marvellous,  rare: 
And  the  song  birds  cease  singing  as  my  music  goes  ringing 
And  eddying  echoing  there, 
Now  wild  and  now  debonair. 
Now  fill'd  with  a  tumult  of  passion  that  throbs  like  a  pulse  in  the 
hush'd  warm  air! 

William  Sharp 

From  Songs  and  Poems 
Used  by  permission  of  Duffield  &  Company 


The  German  linden  tree 


m^^^ 


SUGGESTED  PROGRAM  FOR  ARBOR  DAY 

1  Song 

2  Reading:     The  Significance  of  Arbor  Day,  Arbor  Day  Annual 

3  Recitation:     Foreign  L;in(ls Stevenson 

The  First  Bluebird Riley 

4  Essay:     Some  rypic;d  trees  of  our  locality 

5  Song 

6  Reading:     Selection  from  "The  Planting  and  Care  of  Trees  for 

Ornament  " Hermann  IF.  Merkel 

7  Reading:     The  Friendly  Trees Van  Dyke 

8  Essay:     Some   practical   suggestions   as    to   treatment  of  school 

grounds  with  trees  and  shrubber\- 

9  Song 

10  Essay:     Sketch  of  life  and  work  of  "  Uncle  John  "  Spencer 

1 1  Quotations,  or  selected  readings 

12  Recitation:      The  Heart  of  the  Tree Banner 

1}  Song 

14  Planting  of  tree  or  shrubbery 

15  Song 


REFERENCE  LIST 

Apgar,  A.  C.  Ornamental  Shrubs  of  the  United  States.  N.  Y. 
American  Book  Co.  1910.     $i.SO 

Bailey,  L.  H.  Garden-making.  Suggestions  for  the  Utilizing  of 
Home  Grounds.     N.  Y.     Grosset  &  Dunlap.     1906.     75c 

Dallimore,  W.  Holly,  Yew  and  Box,  with  Notes  on  Other  Ever- 
greens.    N.  Y.     Lane.     1908.     $2.50 

Davis,  L.  D.  Ornamental  Shrubs  for  Garden,  Lawn  and  Park 
Planting.     N.  Y.     Putnam.     1S99.     $3.50 

Felt,  E.  P.  Insects  Affecting  Park  and  Woodland  Trees.  2  v. 
1905-6.     Albany.     State  Education  Department.     Free 

Femow,  B.  E.  The  Care  of  Trees  in  Lawn,  Street  and  Park,  with 
a  List  of  Trees  and  Shrubs  for  Decorative  Use.  American  Nature 
Series.     N.  Y.     Holt.     191 1.     $2 

Gordon,  George.     Book  of  Shrubs.     N.  Y.     Lane.     1903.     $1 

Greene,  M.  L.  Among  School  Gardens.  N.  Y.  Charities  Publi- 
cation Committee,      igio.     ^1.25 

Hemenway,  H.  D.  How  to  Make  Home  and  City  Beautiful. 
Northampton.     Author.      1911.     $1 

How  to  Make  School  Gardens.     N.  Y.     Doubleday, 

Page.      1903.     $1 

Jekyil,  Gertrude.  Wood  and  Garden.  N.  Y.  Longmans.  1904. 
$2 

Keeler,  H.  L.  Our  Northern  Shrubs  and  How  to  Identify  Them. 
N.  Y.     Scribner.     1903.     $2 

Kellaway,  H.  J.  How  to  Lay  Out  the  Suburban  Home  Grounds. 
N.  Y.     Wiley.      1907.     $2 

Kemp,  Edward.  Landscape  Gardening;  How  to  Lay  Out  a  Garden. 
Ed.  by  F.  A.  Waugh.     4th  ed.     N.  Y.     Wiley.     191 1.     $1.50 

Kern,  O.  J.  Among  Country  Schools.  Boston.  Ginn.  1906. 
$1.50 

Maynard,  S.  T.  Landscape  Gardening  as  Applied  to  Home  Decora- 
tion.    N.  Y.     Wiley.     1899.     ^1.50 

Small    Country    Place.       Philadelphia.       Lippincott. 

1908.     ^1.50 

Miller,  C.  H.  Making  Paths  and  Driveway.  N.  Y.  McBride, 
Nast.     1912.     50c 

Miller,  L.  K.  Children's  Gardens  for  School  and  Home.  A  Manual 
of  Cooperative  Gardening.     N.  Y.     Appleton.     1908.     $1.20 

Miller,  Wilhelm.  What  England  Can  Teach  Us  about  Gardening. 
Garden  City.     Doubleday,  Page.     191 1.     ^4 

Newhall,  C.  S.  Trees  and  Shrubs  in  Northeastern  America.  2  v. 
in  I.     N.  Y.     Putnam.     1904.     $2 

Parkhurst,  H.  E.  Trees,  Shrubs  and  Vines  of  the  Northeastern 
United  States.     N.  Y.     Scribner.     1903.     }5i.SO 

Parsons,  H.  G.     Children's  Gardens  for  Pleasure,  Health  and  Educa- 
tion.    N.  Y.     Sturgis  &:  Walton.     1910.     ^i 
40 


Parsons,  Samuel.  Landscape  Gardening:  Notes  and  Suggestions 
on  Lawns  and  Lawn  Planting,  La3ing  Out  and  Arrangement  of 
Country  Places,  Large  and  Small  Parks,  Cemetery  Plots,  and 
Railway  Station  Lawns;  Deciduous  and  Evergreen  Trees  and 
Shrubs;  the  Hardy  Border;  Bedding  Plants;  Roclcwork.  N.  Y. 
Putnam.     1891.     $1 

Landscape  Gardening  Studies.  N.  Y.    Lane.     1910.    $2 

Powell,  E.  P.     Hedges,  Windbreaks,  Shelters  and  Live  Fences.    N.  \'. 

Judd.     1900.     50c 

How  to  Live  in  the  Countr\-.     N.  \.     Outing.     191 1. 

^1-75 

Robinson,  C.  M.  The  Width  and  Arrangement  of  Streets:  a  Study 
m   1  own  Planting.     N.  Y.      tlngineering  News.      191 1.     $2 

Robinson,  W.  Garden  Beautiful.  Home  Woods  and  Home  Land- 
scape.    N.  Y.     Scribner.     1907.     ^3 

Rogers,  W.S.     Garden  Planning.     Garden  City.     Doubleday,  Page. 

1911.  $1.10 

Skinner,  C.  M.  Little  Gardens,  or  How  to  Beautify  City  Yards. 
N.  Y.     Appleton.     1904.     5^1.25 

Small  Country  Places.    N.  Y.    Appleton.     1909.    $1.25 

Solotaroff,  William.     Shade  Trees  in  Town   and   Countr\-.     N.   Y. 

Wiley.      191 1.     $1 
Step,   Edward.     Wayside    and    Woodland    Trees.     N.    \'.     Warne. 

1904.     $2.25 
Tabor,  Grace.    Landscape  Gardening  Book:    Wherein  Are  Set  Down 

the  Simple  Laws  of  Beauty  and  Utility  which  Should  Guide  the 

Development  of  All  Grounds.    N.Y.    McBride,  Winston.    1911.  $2 

Making  the  Grounds  Attractive  with  Shrubbery.    N.  \'. 

McBride,  Nast.     191 2.     50c 

Thonger,  Charles.    Book  of  Garden  Design.    N.Y.    Lane.    1905.    $\ 
Van  Rensselaer,  M.  G.     Art  Out-of-doors.     Hints  on  Good  Taste 

in  Gardening.    N.  Y.    Scribner.     1S93.    $1.50 
Waugh,    F.    A.     Landscape    Gardening:     Treatise    on    the    General 

Principles  Governing  Outdoor  Art;  with  Sundry  Suggestions    on 

Their  Application  in  the  Commoner  Problems  of  Gardening.  N.  Y. 

Judd.     1S99.     50c 
Webster,  A.  D.    Town  Planting:  the  Trees,  Shrubs,  Herbaceous  and 

Other  Plants  that  Are  Best  Adapted  for  Resisting  Smoke.     N.  Y. 

Dutton.     1911.     $1.75 
Weed,  C.  M.  &  Emerson,  P.    School  Garden  Book.    N.  Y.   Scribner. 

1909.     5^1.2-; 
Williams,  Dora.      Gardens    and    Their    Meaning.      Boston.      Ginn. 

1912.  $1 


Bulletins  and  circulars  to  be  obtained  free  on  application  by  schools 

and  libraries 
New  "^'ork  State  College  of  Agriculture.     Ithaca. 
Bulletin  205     Shade  Trees.      1902 

Bulletin  256     Street  Trees,  Their  Care  and  Preservation.      1908 
University  of  California  Agricultural  Experiment  Station.    Berkeley. 
Circular  46     Suggestions  for  Garden  Work  in  California  Schools 
Circular  62     School  Garden  in  Course  of  Study 
California  State  Normal  School.    Chico. 

Bulletin  i,  1905.     School  Gardens  for  California  Schools 
Kansas  State  Normal  School.    Emporia. 

Agricultural  Bulletin  i,  1912.     Ornamental  and  Vegetable  Plant- 
ing on  the  School  Grounds 
Massachusetts  State  Forester.     Boston. 

Study  of  Trees  in  Our  Primary  Schools.      1907 
Stud;-  of  Evergreens  in  Public  Schools.      190S 
Leaflet  2     Shade  Trees.     1905' 
Massachusetts  Agricultural  College.     Amherst. 

Facts  for  Farmers.     No.  12,  1912.     Civic  Improvement  in  Village 

and  Country 
Bulletin  125     Shade  Trees 
New  Jersey.     Forest  Park  Reservation  Commission.     Trenton. 

Planting  and  Care  of  Shade  Trees 
Rhode  Island  State  College.     Providence.     Extension  Department. 

Reports  on  Children's  Garden  Work 
United  States  Department  of  Agriculture.     Washington. 
Farmers  Bulletins 

134    Tree  Planting  on  Rural  School  Grounds 

185     Beautifying  the  Home  Grounds 

218     School  Gardens 

468     Forestry  in  Nature  Study 

Office  Experiment  Stations. 

Farmers   Institute   Lectures.     14.     Farm   Home  Grounds;  Their 

Planting  and  Care 
Bulletin   204     School   Gardening   and   Nature   Study  in   English 
Rural  Schools,  etc. 
United  States  Bureau  of  Education.     Washington. 

Bulletin  2,  1907.     Agricultural  Education  Including  Nature  Study 
and  School  Gardens 


Canandaigua  Acadtmj' 
43 


IN  THE  GARDEN 

A  bird  came  down  the  walk: 
He  did  not  know  I  saw; 
He  bit  an  angle-worm  in  halves 
And  ate  the  fellow,  raw. 

And  then  he  drank  a  dew 

From  a  convenient  grass, 

And  then  hopped  sidewise  to  the  wall 

To  let  a  beetle  pass. 

He  glanced  with  rapid  eyes 

That  hurried  all  abroad  — 

They  looked  like  frightened  beads,  I  thought; 

He  stirred  his  velvet  head 

Like  one  in  danger;  cautious, 
I  offered  him  a  crumb, 
And  he  unrolled  his  feathers 
And  rowed  him  softer  home 

Than  oars  divide  the  ocean. 
Too  silver  for  a  seam, 
Or  butterflies,  off  banks  of  noon, 
Leap,  plashless,  as  they  swim. 

Emily  Dickinson 

Copyright  1891  by  Roberts  Brothers.     Used  by  permission  of  Little,  Brow-n  cSt  Company 


THE  FRIENDLY  TREES 

I  will  sing  of  the  bounty  of  the  big  trees. 

They  are  the  green  tents  of  the  Almight\ , 

He  hath  set  them  up  for  comfort  and  for  shelter. 

Their  cords  hath  he  knotted  in  the  earth. 
He  hath  driven  their  stakes  securely. 
Their  roots  take  hold  of  the  rocks  like  iron. 

He  sendeth  into  their  bodies  the  sap  of  life, 
They  lift  themselves  lightly  toward  the  heavens, 
They  rejoice  in  the  broadening  of  their  branches. 

Their  leaves  drink  in  the  sunlight  and  the  air, 
They  talk  softly  together  when  the  breeze  bioweth. 
Their  shadow  in  the  noon-day  is  full  of  coolness. 

The  tall  palm  trees  of  the  plain  are  rich  in  fruit, 

While  the  fruit  ripeneth  the  flower  unfoldeth. 

The  beaut\-  of  their  crown  is  renewed  on  high  for  ever. 

The  cedars  of  Lebanon  are  fed  by  the  snow. 
Afar  on  the  mountain  they  grow  like  giants, 
In  their  layers  of  shade  a  thousand  years  are  sighing. 

How  fair  are  the  trees  that  befriend  the  home  of  man. 

The  oak,  and  the  terebinth,  and  the  sycamore. 

The  broad-leaved  fig  tree  and  the  delicate  silver\-  olive. 

In  them  the  Lord  is  loving  to  his  little  birds. 
The  linnets  and  the  finches  and  the  nightingales. 
They  people  his  pavilions  with  nests  and  with  music. 

The  cattle  also  are  very  glad  of  a  great  tree. 

They  chew  the  cud  beneath  it  while  the  sun  is  burning. 

And  there  the  panting  sheep  lie  down  around  their  shepherd. 

He  that  planteth  a  tree  is  a  servant  of  God, 
He  provideth  a  kindness  for  many  generations. 
And  faces  that  he  hath  not  seen  shall  bless  him. 

Lord,  when  my  spirit  shall  return  to  thee, 
At  the  foot  of  a  friendly  tree  let  my  body  be  buried, 
That  this  dust  maj'  rise  and  rejoice  among  the  branches. 
Henry  Fan  Dyke 

'  From  Poems  of  Henry  Van  Dyke 
Copyright  1911  by  Charles  Scribncr's  Sons 


IN  THE  MAPLE  WOOD 

Crimson  Inirn  the  briar-tips  now 
As  the  sky  at  vesper-vow; 

And  the  sap  within  the  maple 
Tingles  to  the  topmost  bough. 

From  its  winter-long  repose 
Wakes  the  wood;  the  bonfire  glows; 

Up  and  down  the  leafless  arches 
Rings  the  clamor  of  the  crows. 

And  from  early  morning-dream. 
Freed  by  the  awakening  beam. 

How  the  sap  into  the  buckets 
Trickles  in  a  silvery  stream! 

Where  the  maples  thickest  throng 
Plod  the  toilers  late  and  long. 

While  the  low  voice  of  the  caldron 
Sings  its  ceaseless  sugar-song.     . 

Hither  when  the  aisles  grow  dim 
And  the  pine  knots  flare  and  swim, 
Comes  a  group  of  laughing  lasses, 
Cheeks  aglow  and  eyes  abrim. 

Then  the  merriment  has  flow. 
Quips  go  darting  to  and  fro, 

While  the  more  than  hone\ed  nectar 
Turns  to  sugar  in  the  snow. 

And  if  sweeter  things  th:m  this 
Chance  (a  surreptitious  kiss!) 

Where's  the  man  or  where's  the  maiden 
Who  would  count  such  joy  amiss.' 

For  when  winter's  fetters  part. 
And  the  maple  juices  start. 

Then  it  is,  my  maids  and  masters 
Stirs  the  love-tide  in  the  heart! 

Clinton  Scollard 

From  The  Lyric  Bouj 
Used  by  permission  of  the  .luthor 


Pride  of  Rocliester 

FOREIGN  LANDS 

Up  into  the  cherry  tree 

Who  should  climb  init  little  me? 

I  held  the  trimk  with  both  my  hands; 

And  looked  abroad  on  foreign  lands. 

I  saw  the  next-door  garden  lie, 
Adorned  with  flowers,  before  my  eye, 
And  many  pleasant  places  more 
That  I  had  never  seen  before. 


I  saw  the  dimpling  river  pass 
And  be  the  sky's  blue  looking-glass; 
And  dusty  roads  go  up  and  down, 
And  people  tramping  into  town. 

If  I  could  find  a  higher  tree. 
Farther  and  farther  1  could  see. 
To  where  the  grown-up  river  slips 
Into  the  sea  among  the  ships  — 

To  where  the  roads  on  either  hand 
Lead  onward  into  fairyland. 
Where  all  the  children  dine  at  five, 
And  all  the  playthings  are  alive. 
Robert  Louis  Stevenson 

From  Poems  and  Balhi 
Sy6,  by  Charles  S:ribncr's  Suns 

48 


I     arrow-wood 


I  HEAR  THE  WOODLANDS  CALLING 

I  hear  the  woodlands  calling,  and  their  red  is  like  the  blare 

Of  trumpets  in  the  air. 
Where  rebel  Autumn  plants  her  tents  and  crowns  her  gypsy  hair. 
I  hear  her  beauty  calling  glad,  with  crimson  and  with  gold, 

As  oft  it  called  of  old; 
And  I  must  forth  and  greet  her  there  and  clasp  her  close  and  hold. 
As  yesterday,  again  today,  my  heart  will  run  to  hear, 

The  gypsy  wanderer, 
Through  scarlet  of  the  berry-pod  and  purple  of  the  burr. 
The  vines  that  vision  forth  her  cheeks  shall  tell  me  where  she  lies. 

Soft  gazing  at  the  skies; 
And  I  will  steal  upon  her  dreams  and  look  into  her  eyes. 
The  sumach  that  repeats  her  lips  shall  tell  me  where  she  smiles. 

Who  still  my  heart  beguiles, 
And  I  will  speak  her  face  to  face  and  lounge  with  her  for  miles. 
A  riot  and  a  tangle  there,  a  blur  of  gold  and  gray; 

She  surely  went  this  way  — 
Or,  so  it  seems,  the  maples  cry,  the  cloudy  asters  say. 
Oh,  I  must  up  and  strike  the  trail,  that  often  I  have  gone, 

At  sunset  and  at  dawn, 
Where  all  the  beauty  of  the  world  puts  all  her  splendor  on. 
I  hear  her  bugles  on  the  hills;  I  see  her  banners  blowing, 

And  all  her  campfires  glowing, — 
The  campfires  of  her  dreams, —  and  I  —  I  must  be  up  and  going. 

Madison  Caziein 

From  The  Poet,  The  Fool  and  the  Faeries 
Used  by  permission  of  Small,  Maynard  &  Company 


49 


A  VERNAL  SONG 

Who's  with  me?     Who's  with  me? 

Come,  ye  lads  and  lassies! 
For  the  hird  is  in  the  tree, 

And  the  south-wind  passes, 
Making  wooing  melody 

In  the  leaning  grasses! 

Every  migrant  of  the  earth 

Knows  the  sap  runs  mellow; 
Every  thing  of  roving  birth 

Feels  the  spring  his  fellow; 
Up  and  down,  with  flooding  mirth, 

Capers  Punchinello. 

Wheresoe'er  we  look  abroad, 

Lo,  the  sky  caresses! 
Cowslips  perk  and  wind-flowers  nod 

In  their  dainty  dresses; 
Gleam  upon  the  woodland  sod 

Violets  and  cresses. 

Every  laneway  hath  its  lure, 

Every  path  its  pledges; 
There  is  happiness,  he  sure, 

Hidden  in  the  hedges. 
And  where  rills  go  purling  pure 

Down  the  mossy  ledges. 

So,  since  joy  is  in  the  land. 

Come,  ye  lads  and  lassies! 
Let  us  rove,  a  loving  band, 

Where  the  south-wind  passes, 
Hand  in  hand,  hand  in  hand, 

Through  the  leaning  grasses! 

Clinton  Scollard 

From  The  Lvric  Bough 
of  the  author 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  TREE 

What  does  he  plant  whi)  plants  a  tree? 
He  plants  the  friend  of  sun  and  sky; 
He  plants  the  flag  of  breezes  free; 
The  shaft  of  beauty  towering  high; 
He  plants  a  home  to  heaven  anigh, 
For  song  and  mother-croon  of  bird 
In  hushed  and  happy  twilight  heard  — 
The  treble  of  heaven's  harmony  — 
1  hese  things  he  plants  who  plants  a  tree. 

What  does  he  plant  who  plants  a  tree? 
He  plants  cool  shade  and  tender  rain, 
And  seed  and  bud  of  days  to  be, 

And  years  that  fade  and  flush  again; 
He  plants  the  glory  of  the  plain; 
He  plants  the  forest's  heritage; 
The  harvest  of  a  coming  age; 
The  joy  that  unborn  e\es  shall  see  — 
These  things  he  plants  who  plants  a  tree. 

What  does  he  plant  who  plants  a  tree? 
He  plants,  in  sap  and  leaf  and  wood. 
In  love  of  home  and  loyalty 

And  far-cast  thought  of  civic  good  — 
His  blessings  on  the  neighborhood. 
Who  in  the  hollow  of  His  hand 
Flolds  all  the  growth  of  all  our  land  — 
A  nation's  growth  from  sea  to  sea 
Stirs  in  his  heart  who  plants  a  tree. 
Henry  Cuyler  Bunner 

From  Pccnis  of  H.  C.  Bunner 
Copyright  1S84,  :89J,  1S99,  by  Charles  Scribncr's  Sons 


THE  FIRST   BLUEBIRD 

Jest  rain  and  snow!  and  rain  again! 

And  dribble!  drip!  and  blow! 
Then  snow!  and  thaw!  and  slush!  and  then 

Some  more  rain  and  snow! 


This  morning  I  was  'most  afeard 

To  ivake  up  —  when,  I  jing! 
I  seen  the  sun  shine  out  and  heerd 

The  first  bluebird  of  Spring! 
Mother  she'd  raised  the  winder  some; 
And  in  acrost  the  orchurd  come, 

Soft  as  a  angel's  wing, 
A  breezy,  treesy,  beesy  hum, 

Too  sweet  fer  anything! 

The  winter's  shroud  was  rent  a-part  — 

The  sun  bust  forth  in  glee. 
And  when  that  that  bluebird  sung,  my  hart 

Hopped  out  o'  bed  with  me! 

James  JVhitcomb  Riley 

From  Neghborly  Poems 
Copyright    1883,  1S91    and    1897.     Used   by  permission  of  the   pubHshers,    The   Bobbs-MerriU 
Company 


)f  liyilr;iiigea 


ARBOR   DAY  LAW 


§  750  Arbor  Day.  The  Friday  follciwinR  the  first  tLi\-  of  May 
in  each  }ear  shall  be  kno\\n  as  Arbor  Day. 

§  751  Manner  of  observance.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  author- 
ities of  every  public  school  in  this  State  to  assemble  the  pupils  in 
their  charge  on  that  day  in  the  school  building,  or  elsewhere,  as  they 
may  deem  proper,  and  to  provide  for  and  conduct,  under  the  general 
supervision  of  the  city  superintendent  or  the  school  commissioner 
or  other  chief  officers  having  the  general  oversight  of  the  public 
schools  in  each  city  or  district,  such  exercises  as  shall  tend  to  encourage 
the  planting,  protection  and  preservation  of  trees  and  shrubs,  and 
an  acquaintance  with  the  best  methods  to  be  adopted  to  accomplish 
such  results. 

§  752  Prescribed  course  of  exercises.  The  Commissioner  of 
Education  may  prescribe  from  time  to  time  a  course  of  exercises 
and  instruction  in  the  subjects  hereinbefore  mentioned,  which  shall 
be  adopted  and  observed  by  the  public  school  authorities  on  Arbor 
Day.  Upon  receipt  of  copies  of  such  course  sufficient  in  number  to 
supply  all  the  schools  under  their  supervision,  the  school  commissioner 
or  city  superintendent  aforesaid  shall  promptly  provide  each  of  the 
schools  under  his  charge  with  a  copy,  and  cause  it  to  be  observed. 
53 


PLANT  A  TREE 

He  who  plants  a  tree 
Plants  a  hope. 
Rootlets  up  through  fibers  blindly  grope; 
Leaves  unfold  into  horizons  free. 

So  man's  life  must  climb 

From  the  clods  of  time 

Unto  heavens  sublime. 
Canst  thou  prophesy,  thou  little  tree, 
What  the  glory  of  thy  boughs  shall  be.? 

He  who  plants  a  free 
Plants  a  joy; 
Plants  a  comfort  that  will  never  cloy. 
Every  day  a  fresh  reality. 

Beautiful  and  strong, 

To  whose  shelter  throng 

Creatures  blithe  with  song. 
If  thou  couldst  but  know,  thou  happy  tree, 
Of  the  bliss  that  shall  inhabit  thee! 

He  who  plants  a  tree 

He  plants  peace. 
Under  its  green  curtains  jargons  cease; 
Leaf  and  zephyr  murmur  soothingly; 

Shadows  soft  with  sleep 

Down  tired  eyelids  creep. 

Balm  of  slumber  deep. 
Never  hast  thou  dreamed,  thou  blessed  tree, 
Of  the  benediction  thou  shalt  be. 

He  who  plants  a  tree 
He  plants  youth; 
Vigor  won  for  centuries,  in  sooth; 
Life  of  time,  that  hints  eternit}! 

Boughs  their  strength  uprear, 

New  shoots  every  year 

On  old  growths  appear. 
Thou  shalt  teach  the  ages,  sturdy  tree, 
Youth  of  soul  is  immortality. 

He  who  plants  a  tree 
He  plants  love. 
Tents  of  coolness  spreading  out  above 
Wayfarers  he  may  not  live  to  see. 

Gifts  that  grow  are  best; 

Hands  that  bless  are  blest; 

Plant:  Life  does  the  rest! 
Heaven  and  earth  help  him  who  plants  a  tree, 
And  his  work  its  own  reward  shall  be. 

Lucy  Larcom 

Used  by  permission  of  Houghton  Mifflin  Company 


ACKNOWLEDGMENT 
The  original   drawing  for  the  covtr  design 
was  made  by  Mr  Roj'al  Bailey  Farnum  of  the 
State  Education  Department. 

The  articles  entitled  "The  Planting  and 
Care  of  Trees  and  Shrubs  for  Ornament  "  and 
"Insect  Enemies  of  Trees  and  Shrubs"  were 
prepared  especially  for  this  Annual. 

The  illustrations  on  pages  2,  4,  9,  17,  18, 
19,  20,  38,  49  and  51  are  used  through  the 
courtesy  of  Mr  Hermann  \V.   Merkel. 


